Silver Lining
by Stacey.Gibbly
Summary: A look into all the worst days of each 'Harry Potter' character, and how they found the silver lining in the darkest of times. Accepting character requests!
1. Chapter 1

**One shots of all the characters most tragic moments. Leave requests with your reviews please :)**  
><strong>Love you all!<strong>

**Day: Ron leaves them on Horcrux hunt.  
><strong>

Hermione

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><p>"Are you staying, or what?"<p>

Helpless, the only word I could even possibly use to describe myself in that moment; absolutely helpless.

Ron glared at me, as if he knew before I did myself, what words were going to come out of my mouth. Nothing about the way he looked reminded me of the Ron Weasley that I cared about, the boy from a few months ago who swore he would be loyal to his friends no matter what. The look in his eyes was stiff and cold. His cheeks were hollow and pale from the hunger that we all shared. Nothing about him was friendly, and more than that, nothing about him was familiar; and that answered the question for myself.

"I…" the words choked in my throat as I tried to spit them out, "Yes-yes, I'm staying, Ron. We said we'd go with Harry, we said we'd help–"

He cut me off, his expression malicious as he snapped at me from the other side of my shield, "I get it. You chose _him_."

I glanced at Harry instinctively, and I could feel my face break with anguish. "Ron, no– please–" He turned, and with his hand in his hair, he strode out of the tent, without a second glance at me. "Come back, come back!" I screamed after him, so loud, my throat begun to burn.

My instincts kicked in, propelling me forward into a run, only to be bullied back to a standstill by my own shield. With shaking hands, I fumbled for my wand, finally pulling it out and silently, I wiped the shield away. My feet couldn't move fast enough as I followed his tracks out of the tent.

He was at the edge of the river, standing there with his back to me. I called one last time into the stormy night. Whether or not he could hear me over the thundering rain and the roaring river, I don't know. But after a moment of standing there, his head turned down to the river, he disappeared, leaving only the madly rushing river; and I broke.

My legs gave away, and I hit the rocky bank hard. Heat was radiating off of my face and I could feel the sticky trails of the tears against my cheeks. Breathing became hard as my throat tightened, every sob choking my lungs from the rainy air. The rain was anything but cleansing; it was harsh and cold, and it mocked me in every way possible. The dewy drops rolled down my face with my broken tears, soaking my hair like a sponge. My clothes stuck to me, and the shaking never stopped, it just got worse and more violent, rattling me from the inside out. It took awhile before I realized that I was still calling his name. Then once that hit me, I sobbed more, my hands leaving the rocks and clutching and my burning, wet face.

He was gone, and I thought he was never coming back.

Some time passed before I worked up the courage to move again, dared to face Harry. I used the palms of my hands to push my off the rocks that had indented my legs. My feet were unsteady and I stumbled as I moved back into the dry heat of the tent.

Harry was still standing there, in the same place. I couldn't look at him; not because of what Ron had said, rather that because of the look in his eyes. At seventeen years of life, Harry had seen and been through more than most adults ever would experience. At seventeen years of life, this was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I couldn't look at him, because I knew that the pain I was feeling right now was nothing compared to the pain he had felt. But when the only boy you would die for walks out on you, everyone else's tragedies become irrelevant.

"He's g—g-gone! Disapparated!" My voice was hoarse as though I'd been at a Quidditch match; I couldn't recognize it.

He didn't say anything, and to be honest, I think he was as shocked as I was. I fixed my gaze on a chair halfway across the room, and with all my effort, I made my way over to it, before collapsing. The crying seemed to come in phases, and I let myself go, subject to my emotions. Harry draped a blanket over me and after what must have been hours, I found the exhaustion overcome me. Sleep drowned out my sobs and the tent was silent except for the hammering rain outside.

Over the next couple of months I learned how to be strong. I for once got to see what Harry experienced when Sirius died. Because to me, Ron walking out was like someone dying. But I had Harry, and even though he had seen far worse things, and had experienced far more tragedy than I had, he put a sincere effort in to help me pull through.

Up to that point, I didn't fully understand why Harry was the chosen one. It wasn't clear why everyone had put all of their faith into him to save our world from this impossible war. He was a seventeen-year-old boy who had seen far too much in seventeen short years. But that's what made Harry special. He saw things differently, he saw and he valued the light in the world more than anything else. Not for one day did Harry Potter take for granted the good things in his life; and in those long months, Harry taught me how to move forward, and how to look for the next piece in the puzzle. Even now, while I sat, drenched and feeling numb, as though I'd been frozen, I had him. Even though he couldn't see it in himself, I knew from that point on that that was why everyone was depending on Harry, especially me. If Harry Potter could save me from my breaking point, then I had no doubt that he could save the world from the cruel grip of the war.

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><p><strong>Tell me what you think!<strong>

**I was** **thinking** **of either doing Petunia or Dobby next?**

**Love, Stacey!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to _Cassia4u, Natatat10 (PAWS NAWT), The Mysterious E, _for the reviews and kind words :)**

**Song: Heartbreak Warfare - John Mayer**

**Day: Lily gets her letter**

Petunia

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><p>"But mother, you know I don't like eggs Benedict! Just because they are Lily's favorite doesn't mean we have to have them everyday!" I proclaimed with frustration. Every bloody day we have them stupid Eggs Benedict.<p>

"Petunia, darling, it's what I grew up eating, therefore it will be what you grow up eating." Mum responded reprovingly as she handed me my plate despite my obvious disapproval. I sighed, ignoring Lily as she eagerly thanked Mum behind me.

The table was set for four, as per usual in the Evans household. I took my seat at one end, folding the linen napkin on my lap. The fancy candlesticks were still on the table from Mum and Dad's dinner party last night. But I didn't mind, I found them both elegant and regal in our humble home. The windows were drawn wide, flooding the table with the bright English morning sunlight. I always enjoyed Sunday mornings at the breakfast table, the delicate conversation about dreams and good sleep. The entire routine was peaceful and vastly enjoyable, except for the eggs Benedict, of course.

"What are the plans for the day Petunia, Lily?" Papa asked kindly, folding his newspaper and placing it beside him on the table as Mum placed a plate in front of him, "Thank you dear."

"Well, I believe me and Tuney had planned to go for a walk to the park this morning," Lily grinned widely, picking up her fork, "And maybe later, if it is convenient, could you drive us to the theatre just in town, to see a film?"

"Did you girls have a particular one in mind?"

I brightened, nudging Lily with my foot under the table, we both knew he would take us, "There is one, called 'Summer of '42, all of my friends have seen it and say it as absolutely wonderful, I offered to take Lily, you see."

"Ahh.." he munched, pretending to look uncertain as he scratched the stubble on his chin that mother always complains about, "I'm sure we could work out a deal, only if you girls promise to do the dishes for your mother, seeing as she made you breakfast, do we have a deal then?"

Lily and I nodded eagerly. Poor father was like butter in our fingers, he never seemed to be able to say no to Lily's bright eyes and my girlish dimples.

"Good girls," he smiled, sipping his coffee as his brown eyes gazed over us warmly. Mother rubbed his back lovingly as I grabbed a biscuit from the dish in the center, slathering it with jam to wash the eggs down.

"What time will you go to work then, dear?" Mother asked father, who worked at the local bank.

Father flicked his watching peering down at the time, "I should be getting dressed soon, I should plan on being there within the next 30 minutes."

Mother nodded, her hazel eyes turning to me as I popped the last bit of biscuit into my mouth, "Clear his plate, would you Petunia?"

I followed her instructions, standing up and taking both father's plate as well as mine to the sink. Lily followed me, taking her and mother's.

"Use the bubbly soap Tuney!" Lily whispered. I giggled, reaching for the bubbly soap and pouring it into the warm water. A look of sheer delight filled her face as the sink became a pit of frothy suds. We let the plates and cutlery slide in, leaving there as we rolled our sleeves up to our elbows. Then, we stuck our hands in and began scrubbing the plates with the rags mother had laid out.

"I knew he would say yes." Lily muttered under her breath, jerking her chin towards father who was still sipping his mug of coffee at the table.

I smirked, staring at the plate as I polished it clean, "When does he ever say no?"

"Never! The word isn't even in his vocabulary!"

We both giggled, I shook my head, allowing my curls to drape my face before he heard us.

"What are you two laughing at over there?" Too late.

"Nothing father, just at how Petunia beat Jeremy Tolbert from down the street on her math test!" Lily piped up, her emerald eyes innocent and young.

I bit my tongue to keep from laughing again, "Good cover Lils."

Lily shrugged her shoulders, her smile infectious. The doorbell rang loud and clear, chiming through the entire house.

Mother's voice echoed from upstairs, "Can one of you girls open the door, I'm sure it's the postman!"

Lily grabbed a clean rag and rubbed the soap off of her hands as she rushed off towards the door. I unplugged the sink, wiping the dishes dry before placing each in its proper cupboard. Doing the dishes was a small price to pay in order to see what was undoubtedly one of the best films of the year. I too wiped my hands, before retiring to the sofa and picking up my copy of _Gone With the Wind_. I had barely flipped to my page when Lily's voice broke the silence.

"I have a letter! Mum, dad, I have a letter!"

"Who from Lils?" I asked, curiously.

"Is it from cousin Margaret in York?" Papa asked, putting down his paper and reaching for the letter as Lily bounced up and down in front of the breakfast table, shaking her head, "Let me see."

"It came!" Lily exclaimed, her face alight with glee, "Just like Severus said, I never imagined... but it did, it came!"

My smile fell off my face at his name. Severus Snape, the awkward boy from Spinner's end with the long black hair and offset black eyes. Lily had met him a few weeks earlier, and he had been filling her with all these weird ideas and notions. I had warned her to stay away from strange people, but she was just like every other eleven year old girl, naïve and ignorant when faced with unfamiliar and exciting things.

"Goodness, child." Father whispered, seemingly breathless as his eyes went wide, still scanning the letter. He picked up the envelope, reading it as though disbelieving, "Rose! Rose come, quick!"

"What is it dad?" I jumped off the sofa, walking around Lily and snatching the letter out of his hands.

_Dear Ms. Evans,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Deputy Headmaster_

I couldn't breath. This wasn't possible. All the tricks Severus had done to charm Lily had simply been magic tricks he learned from a book or something. This was just another one of his games. There is no way that my sister is a- a-…

"I'm a witch!" Lily screeched, bouncing up and down on the spot, her red ponytails bouncing on her shoulders.

"_No." _I swallowed hard, breathing through my mouth, "Father, it's just a joke isn't it?"

Father looked at me, flicking the envelope towards me, "I don't think so darling, it has a return address and everything."

"What's all the excitement about?" Mother asked, striding into the kitchen and joining us at the table.

"Mum, I'm a witch!" Lily announced, proudly.

Mother looked at Lily reprovingly, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her from bobbing up and down "Goodness Lily your speaking gibberish, settle down. Don't tell me you've been taking sips of my coffee again?"

Lily shook her head, her emerald eyes going wide in a plea for attention, "_Mum, _I'm a _witch."_

Mother chuckled to my pleasure; surely she saw this as some big silly joke too. Lily isn't a _witch…_ She's my _sister._

"Take a look, Rose," Father handed her the letter, looking at Lily with calculating gaze. She took the letter, her eyes skimming down the page with the speed of someone who reads for hours on end. As she reached the end, her eyes went wide, flicking back to Lily.

"It's just a joke, right Mum?" I asked hopefully, awaiting the reassurance that she would no doubt supply me with.

Mother smiled, "I don't think so, Tuney, I think your sister is a witch."

Lily squealed, grabbing the letter and flinging it in the air. She placed her hand on her heart as mother embraced her lovingly. The sight became blurry as tears filled my eyes, and I turned away, walking back toward the sink and staring at the remaining bubbles, My heart sunk, and I could feel my throat tighten up. I fought to make my voice sound normal, "You aren't going to let her go then, are you?"

"Of course you are!" Lily shrieked, outraged, "Aren't you?"

There was a hesitance, and I could tell Lily was practically dying for their response. A few moments later they still hadn't said anything, and my eyes cleared as I began to feel hopeful. Surely my mother wouldn't allow Lily to go to some mysterious school at such a young age. All would be fine.

"Mum dad you have to let me go! Please, I beg of you! Severus is going as well, his whole family has attended, I simply must go! Please, I'll do any-"

"LILY!" Father's voice boomed, silencing her desperate cries instantaneously. I smiled to myself. They were going to say no, and she was going to pout, but someday she would realize they did the right thing. They would never let her leave me, they knew better. "ME and our mother will have to discuss, but, if this is what you really, truly want, then I'm sure we will find away to make it work."

My pulse raced, and my fingers went numb. My ears began to ring and the tears left trails down my face. The last of the bubbles popped, the soapy residue dripping down the drain. I bit my lip lightly, my face contorting as I waited, "_Was that a yes?"_

"Is that a yes?" Lily gasped, the excitement itching in her voice.

Another moment of silence, then there voices broke the tension with the answer, "That's a yes."

Lily screamed, and I collapsed. My knees buckled and I fell forward, my elbows slamming against the counter top. _"No." _The taste of blood filled my mouth, as I broke skin. Tears leaked down my face, but I didn't care. My breath was shut out, and I swear my heart faltered, before painfully hammering against my chest. They couldn't do this, it wasn't allowed. My hair stuck to my damp face and I ran out of the kitchen, away from the empty sink, and away from my witch sister and my parents who had destroyed me.

I slammed into my bed, my fingers fumbling as I pulled back the covers. I crawled inside, letting the pale blue striped sheets block out the morning sun. I lay sobbing, my breath hitching in my throat as I begged for sleep. If I could only fall asleep. If I could only wake up to a different morning, everything might be okay. But I couldn't fall asleep, and everything wasn't okay. I was much too traumatized for anything to seem okay.

"Tuney? Tuney are you awake?" Lily's voice buzzed in my ear. My eyes flickered open; I must have fallen asleep eventually. She was still buzzing as if she had just won the Olympics, and that letter was still clutched in her death grip. I hid my face from her as another wave of tears filled my eyes. "Tuney, Sev was right, I am a _witch! _Can you believe it? I get to go learn magic at Hogwarts!"

"Great. Just great." I sniffled, pulling back the covers and edging around her as I peered into my closet, gripping the doorframe to keep from falling over.

Her voice was quieter this time, gentler, "Aren't you happy for me?" I could feel her walk up behind me, tapping me on the shoulder. I turned around and faced her. Watching her eyes go wide as they saw my splotchy red face. "What's wrong?"

A sob choked me, and Lily grabbed me into a tight hug, letting me use her fleece sweater to cry on. I let go of the doorframe and clutched onto her as if she was the only thing keeping me alive. "Don't you see Lils?"

"See what?" She whispered against my hair.

"If you go off to that school, things won't ever be the same. We won't ever see each other anymore, and you'll replace me." I whimpered, and I could feel my body convulse with each rocking sob.

"You know I could never replace you Tuney, I love you too much, and Severus says I get to come home for summer, Christmas and Easter!" Lily responded sounding sure, but she was too young and too innocent.

"You don't understand!" I ripped away from her, frustrated by how naïve she was. I grabbed my favorite sweater and ripping it off its hanger. I tore to my door, turning back to face her one last time with the strongest words I could think of, "If you go to that place, Lily, me and you won't be sisters anymore."

She looked torn, and I hated myself for making her struggle like that. She gazed at me and I could see her happiness crumble into ruins. Her emerald eyes broke and she gasped, placing her hand on the blue wallpaper on my wall. "I _have _to go, Petunia. Please don't do this to me."

"Fine," I sniffled, opening the door and looking away from her, _"Fine." _I ran down the stairs, ignoring her calls. The pavement of our driveway was quickly left behind as I turned onto the road, running.

I opened the front door, slammed it behind me. My bare feet carried me to the park, the wind wiping my tears sideways across my face. I reached the end of the drive, and the park came into view. I slowed and eventually came to reach the swing.

I slumped onto it, and feeling uglier than I ever had before in my life, I began to rock back and forth, dragging my toes in the pebbles as I looked down at my lap. The saltwater leaked from my eyes, falling onto my pale pink dress, staining it a deep red.

Memories of me and Lily sitting at theses exact same swings flooded the streets of my mind.

"_Push me, Lily!" I called to her eagerly as I fell into the seat of the swing._

_She laughed, coming up behind me and giving me a push, "Tuney will you ever learn how to swing your own swing? I'm only seven and I know how to do it!" _

_I chuckled to myself, craning my neck so I could see her bright smile, "Why would I do that when I have you?"_

_Her emerald eyes smiled as bright as her mouth did, and she gave me one last shove before moving to her own swing. She slowly began to swing to, and as she did, she looked sideways at me as I flew past her. "I love you, Petunia."_

"_I love you too, Lily." I responded, letting the words flow from my heart._

They were once happy and childish fun memories, now they just seemed wrong, damaged. Nothing will ever be the same. She won't ever be the little Lily who enjoyed sipping tea with me as we watch mother garden. That Severus boy got to her before I could stop him. This was his entire fault. He changed her. He took away my sister, and my best friend.

My body shuddered as the sobs slowed, and hiccups filled my stomach. I used the sleeve of my sweater to rub at my eyes. My toes went cold against the pebbles of the park. I pulled my feet up onto the swing too, wrapping my arms around the chains to keep balance as I gripped my chalky feet in my warm hands.

"Where are your shoes?" A deep voice surprised me. I looked up, and found myself staring at a boy around my age, who was big boned and had kind, beady eyes that were looking at me curiously.

"I forgot them I guess." I was disgusted at how hoarse my voice was.

He nodded his brown hair covered head, moving to sit in the swing that Lily usually at in. "Do you mind me asking why you're crying?"

I sniffled, looking at this boy who I had never met before, who seemed intent on making conversation. I bit my lip, looking at him directly, "I'll tell you why I'm crying if you tell me what your name is."

He smiled politely, "Vernon."

I nodded, "Well Vernon, I have just lost a sister."

His smile fell, and he moved closer to me, "I am so terribly sorry."

I figure he took it as if Lily had just died. And I probably should have corrected him, but at the moment, it felt as if Lily had died. Worse yet, it felt as if Lily had died just to hurt me. I nodded, letting my lower lip hang in a pout.

This boy who I had never met, Vernon, got off his swing, and knelt in front of me, the knees of his fancy trousers against the chalky gravel. He looked up at me, his black eyes full of concern. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

I whispered the words, as I nodded. They were barely audible even to my own ears, yet he heard them, "Push me, Vernon."

Vernon stood up, and he pushed me, he pushed me until I was soaring so high that I couldn't help but laugh. The tears were wiped clean from my face as my eyes came level with the clouds. The air whipped all sad thoughts from my mind, and I was happy as Vernon kept pushing me higher and higher.

After what must have been tens of minutes, I slowed down. Eventually my bare feet sank into the gravel, and I was barely swaying anymore. Vernon smiled at me, and his voice was genuine when he uttered the words to me, "You're very pretty when you smile like that."

I sniffled, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind my ears, letting my eyes meet his gaze. "Thank you."

Everyday for the next two years, Vernon Dursley would meet me at the park and push me till I was dizzy with laughter. In the rain, in the snow and in the sun. Everyday of spring, everyday of autumn, everyday of summer, and everyday of winter. He was just some boy in a park who happened to pass by, yet that coincidence ended up changing my life.

Vernon Dursley was there for me on the first day we met, and he has been there for me every single day since. And while my Lily was off at school, making loads of new friends, and meeting loads of new people, I met one. But I grew to be okay with the fact that she had replaced me. Because I had Vernon, and that was all I needed.

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><p><strong>Let me know who you want next!<strong>

**Love, Stacey**


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